We are a couple from Florida hoping to share our magnificent home, and view, with others :)
Right now, take advantage of our reduced renovation rate. We have started a garden renovation project and while it is in process we have decided to reduced our rate. Please excuse our dust.
A day in our home, usually consists of walking up to the local town, Santa Cruz La Laguna, for the farmers market, picking out some beautiful, locally grown produce like pineapples and avocados. Then, we'll take an open-air taxi, a 'tuk tuk', back to the house where the sun will be just peaking out on the porch. In the shade its cool enough for long sleeves, but in the sun its bikini weather! There's so many things to do there. Sometimes, we layout and cook on the deck or hop on a boat and visit one of the other small towns around the lake; which all have their own special uniqueness to them. But for us, Santa Cruz la Laguna is our small, safe town of locals to come home to after a long day in the sun. We open the windows to let the crisp evening air in, with what we have come to call the Santa Cruises, while turning on some favorite music and open a bottle of wine to share while we create something yummy with our daily produce valuables. As the sun goes down, we watch the sky change from blue, to purple, red, yellow, then finally to a deep indigo-black that gets dusted with stars above. Peaks of mountains and ancient volcanoes silhouette the backdrop of the lagoon water as it glistens in the stars' reflection.
It is quite a sight. Overwhelmingly so. A view that has healed a thousand souls and climate of the Land of the Eternal Spring. This is as close as Ill get to heaven on earth. I hope people can enjoy it as much as we do, ...when were not there :)
The house has two owners before us and we are starting to have things the way we would like them, but its by no means a perfect home yet. The bathroom has been remodeled along with all new dishware, serve-ware, sheets, comforters, bath and kitchen towels, furniture coverings, ice trays, door mats, fire extinguisher, cleaning supplies, and emergency kit. We also provide a special toilet paper imported from Florida that's made especially for our septic system.
We truly want our guests to feel as if this is their home away from home. We want you to make this your annual vacation home for you and your family. We are always looking for anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable or make you feel more at home here.
Please let us know if you have any questions or special requests.
Other AMENITIES:
-Completely Private and Gated Property and Gardens
-Huge Private Terrace with some outdoor furniture
-Private Sun Deck
-Private Garden and path areas
-Private pathway to home entrance
-Open concept home with large entertaining areas
-Kitchen with pots, pans, cookware, mixing bowls, strainers, utensils, pot holders, and biodegradable trash bags
-Full sized Stainless Steel Refrigerator and Freezer with Ice Trays and refillable ice draw
-Coffee Corner with Keurig and refillable cups so you can try all the coffee :)
-Four Stove Burner
-Countertop Toaster Oven
-Popcorn Air Popper
-Black and Decker Crockpot
-Black and Decker Rice Cooker
-Brita filtered water pitchers
-4 times filtered water on tap
-Four person Dining Table and Chairs
-Lighted Ceiling Fan
-4 Accent Lamps for cozy lighting (with remote controllers!)
-2 Yoga Mats
-Market Bags to fill with your groceries and save on plastic bags :)
-Newly remodeled bathroom with new chandelier lighting, toilet, shower tile, door, and showerhead, sink vanity, faucet, toilet paper holder, trashcan, towel holder, and more. The bathroom features one large standup shower.
-Master bedroom suite with private dresser
-Extra blankets, towels, and sheets if needed
.....And we have Complimentary:
-5 gallon Purified Water (up to two per stay, more available on request)
-Toilet Paper
-Some condiments that may be at the house: salt, pepper, Lowrys seasoning, Garlic Salt, Avocado seasoning, Mustard, and Sugar (white and brown).
Other Previously Requested Information:
There is an ATM in Santa Cruz. It's just inside the door at CECAP (one of the restaurants up in the town center). I believe it has a fee of 30 or 40Q, which is pretty standard. If you need to exchange money, our property guardian, Alfonso, can exchange USD or EUROs to Quetzal, the Guatemalan denomination (please message me on VRBO and I can have Alfonso meet with you).
On the weekends, the town square in Santa Cruz holds an open market with fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and some meat from local farmers. I would recommend going early-ish for the best picks, 8-9am :) There are also small tiendas near the lancha and in the town square that have your typical gas station type foods with the addition of eggs, lots of pasta, rice, beans, and canned foods. However, I would recommend getting anything you "must-have" in Panajachel, just in case. We typically purchase our meat, cheese, bread, special veggies/fruits, and seasonings from Panajachel and we buy local veggies, fruits, meats, and eggs from the market in Santa Cruz. We do have some seasonings at the house though (salt, pepper, sugar, etc).
For alcohol, the tiendas in Santa Cruz have some liquor, wine, and single beers for sale. Think like gas station selection. And there's a liquor store in the town center too (its on the little road that CECAP is on but on the other side of the street. It's small but they have a good selection for the area :)
